Police in North Macedonia arrest man smuggling 5 migrants

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Police in North Macedonia say they have arrested a man suspected of smuggling five migrants from Greece, headed north toward Serbia.

Police said Saturday that one Afghan citizen and four Pakistanis were discovered during a routine checkup on a car late Thursday on the main north-south highway. The suspect, a North Macedonian, was identified only by his initials as E.E. An investigative judge has ordered him detained for 30 days, pending trial.

Trafficking migrants from Greece to wealthier western European countries is still happening in North Macedonia, even though the so-called Balkan route of migrant trafficking into Europe has been officially closed since mid-2015.